Publications

upregulation of surface proteins in leishmania donovani isolated from patients of post kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis.	five to fifteen percent of visceral leishmaniasis (vl) patients in india develop post kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (pkdl), usually 1-2 years after apparent clinical cure. there is evidence pointing to a role played by the host immune responses in the disease pathogenesis, however, the contribution of changes in parasite gene expression has not been explored. highly sensitive gene expression microarray technology was employed to identify genes that are differentially expressed in leishmania par ...	2006	16469521
leishmania tropica-isolated patient with visceral leishmaniasis in southern iran.	visceral leishmaniasis (vl) is caused by various strains of leishmania donovani, leishmania infantum, and leishmania chagasi with different geographical distribution. the aim of this study was to identify the strains of leishmania that can cause vl in southern iran. dna of leishmania were extracted from the slides of bone marrow aspirates (#42) and spleen punctures (#22), which were positive for leishman body from the patients who were referred to the hospitals affiliated with shiraz university ...	2006	16474088
spatial clustering and epidemiological aspects of visceral leishmaniasis in two endemic villages, baringo district, kenya.	visceral leishmaniasis (vl) seroprevalence in kenya is unknown because of the lack of a practical and accurate diagnostic test or surveillance system. a novel serological assay was used to estimate the seroprevalence of leishmania-specific antibodies, and global information system and spatial clustering techniques were applied to study the presence of spatial clusters in parkarin and loboi villages in baringo district in 2001. vl seroprevalences were 52.5% in parkarin and 16.9% in loboi. signifi ...	2006	16474089
hfip-induced structures and assemblies of the peptides from the transmembrane domain 4 of membrane protein nramp1.	membrane protein nramp1 (natural resistance-associated macrophage protein 1) is a ph-dependent divalent metal cation transporter that regulates macrophage activation in infectious and autoimmune diseases. a naturally occurring glycine to aspartic acid substitution at position 169 (g169d) within the transmembrane domain 4 (tm4) of nramp1 makes mice susceptible to leishmania donovani, salmonella typhimurium, and mycobacterium bovis. here we present a structural and self-assembling study on two syn ...	2006	16479587
isolated laryngeal leishmaniasis in an immunocompetent patient in india.		2006	16483442
leishmania donovani cyclin 1 (ldcyc1) forms a complex with cell cycle kinase subunit crk3 (ldcrk3) and is possibly involved in s-phase-related activities.	expression of leishmania donovani cyclin 1 (ldcyc1) mrna during the cell cycle of promastigotes is s-phase specific. here, we show that the ldcyc1 protein is periodically expressed and the activity of its associated kinase varies during the cell cycle in line with its expression pattern. in addition, we have shown that ldcrk3, homologous to crk3 from l. mexicana, is the cognate cdk partner of ldcyc1 and that the activity of the complex is inhibited specifically by heat stable factor(s) from the ...	2006	16487322
the structure of the transition state of the heterodimeric topoisomerase i of leishmania donovani as a vanadate complex with nicked dna.	type ib topoisomerases are essential enzymes that are responsible for relaxing superhelical tension in dna by forming a transient covalent nick in one strand of the dna duplex. topoisomerase i is a target for anti-cancer drugs such as camptothecin, and these drugs also target the topoisomerases i in pathogenic trypanosomes including leishmania species and trypanosoma brucei. most eukaryotic enzymes, including human topoisomerase i, are monomeric. however, for leishmania donovani, the dna-binding ...	2006	16487540
differential induction of leishmania donovani bi-subunit topoisomerase i-dna cleavage complex by selected flavones and camptothecin: activity of flavones against camptothecin-resistant topoisomerase i.	emergence of the bi-subunit topoisomerase i in the kinetoplastid family (trypanosoma and leishmania) has brought a new twist in topoisomerase research related to evolution, functional conservation and preferential sensitivities to the specific inhibitors of type ib topoisomerase family. in the present study, we describe that naturally occurring flavones baicalein, luteolin and quercetin are potent inhibitors of the recombinant leishmania donovani topoisomerase i. these compounds bind to the free ...	2006	16488884
long-term preservation of leishmania donovani promastigotes on blood-agar slants.		2006	16492365
glutathione and the redox control system trypanothione/trypanothione reductase are involved in the protection of leishmania spp. against nitrosothiol-induced cytotoxicity.	glutathione is the major intracellular antioxidant thiol protecting mammalian cells against oxidative stress induced by oxygen- and nitrogen-derived reactive species. in trypanosomes and leishmanias, trypanothione plays a central role in parasite protection against mammalian host defence systems by recycling trypanothione disulphide by the enzyme trypanothione reductase. although kinetoplastida parasites lack glutathione reductase, they maintain significant levels of glutathione. the aim of this ...	2006	16501815
arylanthranilodinitriles: a new biaryl class of antileishmanial agents.	a series of anthranilodinitrile-based biaryls were synthesized and evaluated in vitro against extracellular promastigotes and intracellular amastigotes of leishmania donovani. among various screened compounds, a biaryl with trifluoromethyl group 5f showed 83% inhibition against promastigotes and 70% inhibition against amastigotes of l. donovani at 8 and 20microg/ml concentrations, respectively.	2006	16503140
regulation of guanylyl cyclase by intracellular ca2+ in relation to the infectivity of the protozoan parasite, leishmania donovani.	a neuronal type ca2+ stimulated nitric oxide synthase was earlier reported by us to be present in the protozoan parasite leishmania donovani. as part of nitric oxide-cyclic gmp transduction signaling operative in higher eukaryotes and involved in the long-term potentiation, a soluble guanylyl cyclase has also been detected in this lower eukaryote. however, detailed biochemical characterization revealed the enzyme to be ca2+ modulated and unstimulated by nitric oxide donors as opposed to higher e ...	2006	16507348
identification of novel parasitic cysteine protease inhibitors by use of virtual screening. 2. the available chemical directory.	the incidence of parasitic infections such as malaria, leishmaniasis, and trypanosomiasis has been steadily increasing. since the existing chemotherapy of these diseases suffers from lack of safe and effective drugs and/or the presence of widespread drug resistance, there is an urgent need for development of potent, mechanism-based antiparasitic agents against these diseases. cysteine proteases have been established as valid targets for this purpose. the available chemical directory consisting o ...	2006	16509575
an intracellular calcium store is present in leishmania donovani glycosomes.	a fourth intracellular ca2+ pool in leishmania donovani was identified by permeabilizing plasma membrane with digitonin. in fura 2 loaded cells ca2+ was released synergistically when mitochondrial function was blocked by antimycin and oligomycin. vanadate did not have any effect if applied before incorporation of these mitochondrial poisons. however, the same inhibitor which inhibits ca2+-atpase activity of endoplasmic reticulum was able to release ca2+ at a slow rate when added after antimycin ...	2006	16513112
visceral leishmaniasis in nepal during 1980-2006.	visceral leishmaniasis (vl) or kala-azar is a potentially fatal vector-borne zoonotic disease caused by a protozoan parasite, leishmania donovani. nepal, together with india, bangladesh, brazil and sudan constitutes the five countries of the world where more than 90% of vl occurs. in nepal, the disease affects eastern terai region which lies adjacent to the bihar state of india. although leishmaniasis is regarded as a significant health problem in nepal by the ministry of health, there is no act ...	2006	17370676
antituberculotic and antiprotozoal activities of primin, a natural benzoquinone: in vitro and in vivo studies.	primin (=2-methoxy-6-pentylcyclohexa-2,5-diene-1,4-dione), a natural benzoquinone synthesized in our laboratory, was investigated for its in vitro antiprotozoal, antimycobacterial, and cytotoxic potential. primin showed very potent activity against trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense (ic50 0.144 microm) and leishmania donovani (ic50 0.711 microm), and revealed low cytotoxicity (ic50 15.4 microm) on mammalian cells. only moderate inhibitory activity was observed against mycobacterium tuberculosis, try ...	2006	17193236
first case of cutanous leishmaniasis in nepalese patient.	visceral leishmaniasis (vl) is a serious disease caused by leishmania donovani (ld) complex and prevalent in the temperate and tropical zones of the earth. vl, endemic in the southern plains of the 14 districts in the terai region of nepal, is considered a major public health problem. cutanous leishmaniasis (cl) is prevalent mainly in the tropics and subtropics, affects nearly 1.5 million people worldwide. no reported cases of cl have been identified in nepal until now. we report the first case ...	2006	17203834
mapping the antigenicity of the parasites in leishmania donovani infection by proteome serology.	leishmaniasis defines a cluster of protozoal diseases with diverse clinical manifestations. the visceral form caused by leishmania donovani is the most severe. so far, no vaccines exist for visceral leishmaniasis despite indications of naturally developing immunity, and sensitive immunodiagnostics are still at early stages of development.	2006	17183669
a new library of c-16 modified artemisinin analogs and evaluation of their anti-parasitic activities.	a library of c-16 modified artemisinin analogs was prepared and their antimalarial as well as antileishmanial activities were evaluated. synthesis of these compounds involved the conversion of artemisinin to its phenol derivatives 7 and 12, and subsequent parallel derivatization by introducing new chemical groups through ester, carbamate, sulfate, phosphate and isourea linkages. comparison of in vitro antimalarial activities showed that c9-beta artemisinin analogs (8a-f) are more potent than the ...	2006	17168678
comparative evaluation of freeze-dried and liquid antigens in the direct agglutination test for serodiagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis (itma-dat/vl).	the direct agglutination test (dat) for visceral leishmaniasis (vl) with liquid (lq) antigen is known to be only moderately reproducible because of inter-observer and batch-to-batch variability as well as its sensitivity to temperature and shaking during transport. we evaluated a dat with freeze-dried (fd) antigen and compared it with the lq antigen version.	2006	17176341
visceral leishmaniasis in southeastern nepal: a cross-sectional survey on leishmania donovani infection and its risk factors.	to document the frequency of leishmania donovani infection at community level in a highly endemic region in southeastern nepal, and to assess socioeconomic and environmental risk factors.	2006	17176343
leishmaniasis in ancient egypt and upper nubia.		2006	17176592
diagnosing human asymptomatic visceral leishmaniasis in an urban area of the state of minas gerais, using serological and molecular biology techniques.	a population-based cross-sectional study was set up in sabará country, southeastern brazil, to identify asymptomatic human visceral leishmaniasis in an urban area of low disease prevalence. blood was collected on filter paper (n=1,604 inhabitants) and examined by indirect immunofluorescent test, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immunochromatographic strip test. the prevalence rates of infection ranged from 2.4 to 5.6% depending on the test used. one year later, venous blood was collected in ...	2006	17160317
'leishman' topoisomerase i: an ideal chimera for unraveling the role of the small subunit of unusual bi-subunit topoisomerase i from leishmania donovani.	the active site tyrosine residue of all monomeric type ib topoisomerases resides in the c-terminal domain of the enzyme. leishmania donovani, possesses unusual heterodimeric type ib topoisomerase. the small subunit harbors the catalytic tyrosine within the skxxy motif. to explore the functional relationship between the two subunits, we have replaced the small subunit of l.donovani topoisomerase i with a c-terminal fragment of human topoisomerase i (htop14). the purified ldtop1l (large subunit of ...	2006	17098934
studies on the cpa cysteine peptidase in the leishmania infantum genome strain jpcm5.	visceral leishmaniasis caused by members of the leishmania donovani complex is often fatal in the absence of treatment. research has been hampered by the lack of good laboratory models and tools for genetic manipulation. in this study, we have characterised a l. infantum line (jpcm5) that was isolated from a naturally infected dog and then cloned. we found that jpcm5 has attributes that make it an excellent laboratory model; different stages of the parasite life cycle can be studied in vitro, it ...	2006	17101050
aspects of the cytological activity of edelfosine, miltefosine, and ilmofosine in leishmania donovani.	to discover the mode of action of alkyl-lysophospholipids in leishmania donovani, we studied the effects of edelfosine, miltefosine, and ilmofosine on intracellular ph, the parasite's cell cycle, and the induction of apoptosis. the effect of the alkyl-lysophospholipids was combined with that of inhibitors of some pumps and exchange regulators of intracellular ph (na+/ h+; cl-/co- 3; and the na+/k+ atpase). the effect of the 3 alkyl-lysophospholipids on intracellular ph was indirect; the primary ...	2006	17152926
species-specific pcr assay for l. infantum/l. donovani discrimination.	leishmania infantum and leishmania donovani both pertain to the l. (l.) donovani complex. the status of certain strains is questioned in the literature and there are no reliable discriminative markers to identify them. molecular tools are needed to (i) identify diagnostic markers and (ii) to allow a better understanding of phylogenetic relationships. we have developed a pcr based on cysteine protease b (cpb). this pcr discriminates between l. infantum and l. donovani with 50-100pg of dna. these ...	2006	17141723
in vitro antiprotozoal activity of the lipophilic extracts of different parts of turkish pistacia vera l.	thirteen lipophilic extracts prepared with n-hexane from various parts of pistacia vera l. tree (anacardiaceae) growing in turkey were screened for their in vitro activity against four parasitic protozoa, trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense, trypanosoma cruzi, leishmania donovani and plasmodium falciparum. melarsoprol, benznidazole, miltefosine, artemisinin and chloroquine were used as reference drugs. the cytotoxic potentials of the extracts on rat skeletal myoblast (l6) cells were also assessed and ...	2006	17085297
congenital visceral leishmaniasis.		2006	17080586
role of host protein tyrosine phosphatase shp-1 in leishmania donovani-induced inhibition of nitric oxide production.	in order to survive within the macrophages of its host organism, the protozoan parasite leishmania inhibits a number of critical, gamma interferon (ifn-gamma)-inducible, macrophage functions, including the generation of nitric oxide. we have previously shown that the protein tyrosine phosphatase shp-1 (src-homology 2 domain containing phosphatase-1) is activated during leishmania infection and plays an important role in both the survival of leishmania within cultured macrophages and disease prog ...	2006	17057094
genes and environment in susceptibility to visceral leishmaniasis.	kala azar (ka) is a lethal disease caused by leishmania parasites (leishmania donovani s.l.) that multiply in large numbers in deep organs such as spleen and liver. the host immunological response to these organisms is complex and experimental studies in animals have detected a large number of genetic loci involved in the control of infection and disease. we report here on a study in a human population of sudan carried out during an outbreak of ka. the following conclusions are presented: (1) en ...	2006	17067929
functional characterization of nucleoside transporter gene replacements in leishmania donovani.	leishmania donovani express two nucleoside transporters of non-overlapping ligand selectivity. to evaluate the physiological role of nucleoside transporters in l. donovani, homozygous null mutants of the genes encoding the ldnt1 adenosine-pyrimidine nucleoside transporter and the ldnt2 inosine-guanosine transporter were created singly and in combination by single targeted gene replacement followed by selection for loss-of-heterozygosity. the mutant alleles were verified by southern blotting, and ...	2006	17050001
the thiol-based redox networks of pathogens: unexploited targets in the search for new drugs.	hydroperoxide metabolism in diverse pathogens is reviewed under consideration of involved enzymes as potential drug targets. the common denominator of the peroxidase systems of trypanosoma, leishmania, plasmodium, and mycobacterium species is the use of nad(p)h to reduce hydroperoxides including peroxynitrite via a flavin-containing disulfide reductase, a thioredoxin (trx)-related protein and a peroxidase that operates with thiol catalysis. in plasmodium falciparum, thioredoxin- and glutathione ...	2006	17012768
lymph node cells from balb/c mice with chronic visceral leishmaniasis exhibiting cellular anergy and apoptosis: involvement of ser/thr phosphatase.	visceral leishmaniasis (vl) produced in balb/c mice through intracardial administration of leishmania donovani amastigotes was accompanied by hepatosplenomegaly with high organ parasite load and lymphadenopathy when followed up to 4-months or so. to elucidate the mechanism of immunosuppression associated with vl, we report here progressive impairment of the proliferative response of lymph node cells (lymphocytes) from infected animals (i-lnc) to in vitro stimulation with the combination of phorb ...	2006	17013755
evaluation of azasterols as anti-parasitics.	in this article, the design and synthesis of some novel azasterols is described, followed by their evaluation against trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense, t. cruzi, leishmania donovani, and plasmodium falciparum, the causative agents of human african trypanosomiasis, chagas disease, leishmaniasis, and malaria, respectively. some of the compounds showed anti-parasitic activity. in particular, a number of compounds appeared to very potently inhibit the growth of the blood stream form t. b. rhodesiense, ...	2006	17004723
evaluation of a glycerol-preserved antigen in the direct agglutination test for diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis at rural level in eastern sudan.	three-hundred and eight patients with suspected visceral leishmaniasis (vl) were received at doka hospital (eastern sudan) during the period september 2004 to october 2005. the sensitivity and specificity of a glycerol-preserved (gp) antigen for vl diagnosis was assessed against the results of repeated lymph node aspiration and readings from a direct agglutination test (dat) employing standard formaldehyde-fixed (ff) or freeze-dried (fd) antigen. despite 13 months of storage at ambient temperatu ...	2006	17005782
evaluation of rk39 strip test for the diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis in infants.	this study estimated the sensitivity and specificity of the rk39 strip test compared with the immunofluorescent antibody test and microscopy of bone marrow aspirate smears (the gold standard) in 47 children with suspected visceral leishmaniasis. a control group of children with other diagnoses (tuberculosis, toxoplasmosis, systemic lupus erythematosus, malaria or cutaneous leishmaniasis) were also tested to check false positive results. the sensitivity and specificity of the strip test were 82.4 ...	2006	17037697
topoisomerases of kinetoplastid parasites: why so fascinating?	dna topoisomerases are the key enzymes involved in carrying out high precision dna transactions inside the cells. however, they are detrimental to the cell when a wide variety of topoisomerase-targeted drugs generate cytotoxic lesions by trapping the enzymes in covalent complexes on the dna. the discovery of unusual heterodimeric topoisomerase i in kinetoplastid family added a new twist in topoisomerase research related to evolution, functional conservation and their preferential sensitivity to ...	2006	17042788
[visceral leishmaniasis with cardiac affectation in an immunocompetent patient].		2006	17043012
modification at the c9 position of the marine natural product isoaaptamine and the impact on hiv-1, mycobacterial, and tumor cell activity.	as part of an investigation to generate optimized drug leads from marine natural pharmacophores for the treatment of neoplastic and infectious diseases, a series of novel isoaaptamine analogs were prepared by coupling acyl halides to the c9 position of isoaaptamine (2) isolated from the aaptos sponge. this library of new semisynthetic products was evaluated for biological activity against hiv-1, mtb, aids-oi, tropical parasitic diseases, and cancer. compound 4 showed potent activity against hiv- ...	2006	17045480
chronic diarrhea and malabsorption caused by leishmania donovani.	chronic diarrhea and malabsorption are uncommon in immunocompetent patients with visceral leishmaniasis. we report two immunocompetent patients with visceral leishmaniasis where the predominant presentation was chronic diarrhea. one of them had clinically overt malabsorption and duodenal mucosa was loaded with leishmania donovani bodies. the other patient had diffuse colonic aphthous and discrete ulcerations and leishmania donovani bodies were seen in the crush smears of the colonic mucosa. with ...	2006	17264434
characterization of the gene encoding glyoxalase ii from leishmania donovani: a potential target for anti-parasite drugs.	the glyoxalase system is a ubiquitous detoxification pathway that protects against cellular damage caused by highly reactive oxoaldehydes such as methylglyoxal which is mainly formed as a by-product of glycolysis. the gene encoding gloii (glyoxalase ii) has been cloned from leishmania donovani, a protozoan parasite that causes visceral leishmaniasis. dna sequence analysis revealed an orf (open reading frame) of approximately 888 bp that encodes a putative 295-amino-acid protein with a calculated ...	2006	16159313
cloning, expression, and purification of a novel recombinant antigen from leishmania donovani.	visceral leishmaniasis (vl) is a major health problem in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. the conventional methods for diagnosis of old world visceral leishmaniasis are difficult, insensitive, and hazardous. there is no recombinant antigen from old world leishmania species which can be commercially used for rapid diagnosis. there is an urgent need for a less invasive and accurate method. here, we report a recombinant antigen from indian leishmania donovani for its diagnosis. th ...	2006	16172002
interplay between parasite cysteine proteases and the host kinin system modulates microvascular leakage and macrophage infection by promastigotes of the leishmania donovani complex.	kinins, the vasoactive peptides proteolytically liberated from kininogens, were recently recognized as signals alerting the innate immune system. here we demonstrate that leishmania donovani and leishmania chagasi, two etiological agents of visceral leishmaniasis (vl), activate the kinin system. intravital microscopy in the hamster cheek pouch showed that topically applied promastigotes induced macromolecular leakage (fitc-dextran) through postcapillary venules. peaking at 15 min, the parasite-i ...	2006	16203170
roles for mitochondria in pentamidine susceptibility and resistance in leishmania donovani.	pentamidine resistant leishmania donovani was raised in the laboratory by stepwise exposure to increasing drug pressure until a line capable of growth in 8 microm pentamidine (r8) had been selected. an ic(50) value of 40 microm was determined for this line, some 50-fold higher than that recorded for the parental wild-type line. the pentamidine resistant promastigotes were cross-resistant to other toxic diamidine derivatives but not to antimonials or substrates of multidrug resistance pumps. decr ...	2006	16219371
detection of leishmania infantum kinetoplast dna in laryngeal tissue from an immunocompetent patient.	mucosal leishmaniasis of the upper respiratory tract is usually associated with the visceral form or is found in immunosuppressed individuals. this report presents a case of isolated mucosal leishmaniasis in an immunocompetent patient, whose diagnosis mainly rested on histology and positive polymerase chain reaction result for leishmania donovani in the laryngeal tissue. a 59-year-old man, who never lived outside italy, showed a subglottic mucosal polypoid-like lesion. the typical morphological ...	2005	16226116
glyoxalase i from leishmania donovani: a potential target for anti-parasite drug.	glyoxalases are involved in a ubiquitous detoxification pathway. in pursuit of a better understanding of the biological function of the enzyme, the recombinant glyoxalase i (ldgloi) protein has been characterized from leishmania donovani, the most important pathogenic leishmania species that is responsible for visceral leishmaniasis. a 24kda protein was heterologously expressed in escherichia coli. ldgloi showed a marked substrate specificity for trypanothione hemithioacetal over glutathione hem ...	2005	16236261
invariant nkt cells are essential for the regulation of hepatic cxcl10 gene expression during leishmania donovani infection.	gamma interferon (ifn-gamma)-regulated chemokines of the cxc family have been implicated as key regulators of a variety of t-cell-dependent inflammatory processes. however, the cellular source(s) of ifn-gamma that regulates their early expression has rarely been defined. here, we have directly addressed this question in mice after leishmania donovani infection. comparison of cxcl10 mrna accumulation in normal and ifn-gamma-deficient mice confirmed an absolute requirement for ifn-gamma for sustai ...	2005	16239557
gene expression analysis of the mechanism of natural sb(v) resistance in leishmania donovani isolates from nepal.	control of visceral leishmaniasis (vl) is being challenged by the emergence of natural resistance against the first line of treatment, pentavalent antimonials [sb(v)]. an insight into the mechanism of natural sb(v) resistance is required for the development of efficient strategies to monitor the emergence and spreading of sb(v) resistance in countries where vl is endemic. in this work, we have focused on the mechanism of natural sb(v) resistance emerging in nepal, a site where anthroponotic vl i ...	2005	16251303
a case of visceral leishmaniasis misdiagnosed as autoimmune hepatitis.		2005	16252191
ribavirin up-regulates il-12 p40 gene expression and restores il-12 levels in leishmania-treated pbmcs.	ribavirin, a nucleoside analogue that interferes with viral mrna synthesis and inhibits the replication of rna and dna viruses, has been recently proposed as an effective immune response modulator. in the present report, we studied the effect of ribavirin on il-12 p40 gene expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (pbmcs) of healthy subjects. we also studied ribavirin effects on pbmcs activated with lipopolysaccharide (lps) and phytohaemagglutinin (pha) and treated with leishmania donovan ...	2005	16255743
leishmania donovani promastigotes induce periphagosomal f-actin accumulation through retention of the gtpase cdc42.	leishmania donovani promastigotes inhibit phagosome maturation and induce the accumulation of periphagosomal f-actin during the establishment of infection within macrophages. these events are mediated by the surface glycolipid lipophosphoglycan (lpg), but the underlying mechanisms remain to be elucidated. in this study, we addressed the role of the rho-family gtpases rhoa, rac1 and cdc42 in the uptake of l. donovani promastigotes and in the accumulation of periphagosomal f-actin. confocal micros ...	2005	16207251
recombinant leishmania antigens for serodiagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis.	serological tests with crude or recombinant leishmania antigens are important tools for the diagnosis of leishmania infection. however, these tests are not markers of active visceral leishmaniasis (vl), since antibodies to these markers are often observed in individuals with subclinical l. chagasi infection and they do not fall shortly after therapy. in this study, levels of immunoglobulin g (igg) against three recombinant leishmania antigens (rh2a, kmp11, and the "q" protein) were evaluated in ...	2005	16210478
potential of direct agglutination test based on promastigote and amastigote antigens for serodiagnosis of post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis.	post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (pkdl) is a dermal complication, a sequel to kala-azar. diagnosis of pkdl presents a challenge due to the low parasite burden in the lesions. the direct agglutination test (dat) based on promastigote and amastigote antigens of leishmania donovani of indigenous isolates was developed to diagnose pkdl, and the results were compared with those of the rk39 strip test. the sensitivities of dat for antileishmanial antibody detection, based on promastigote and amasti ...	2005	16210482
effect of pyrazoloquinoline derivatives on the growth of leishmania donovani promastigotes.	a screening study was conducted to examine the effect of a series of synthesized pyrazoloquinoline derivatives on the growth of leishmania donovani promastigotes. sixteen compounds were tested, ten of which showed an inhibitory effect on the growth of promastigotes. compound 1 demonstrated potent antileishmanial activity, followed by compounds 3 and 7. some compounds showed less significant activities, while others exhibited little or no activity. some of these compounds may be potential candida ...	2005	16211660
antileishmanial activity of polycyclic derivatives.	33 polycyclic derivatives have been studied and tested on leishmania donovani and l. major promastigotes. their antileishmanial activity was assessed in vitro and an assay of their cytotoxicity was realized on human myelomonocytic cell line. the reference molecules used in the assays were amphotericin b and pentamidine. among the compounds tested, 29 possess an antileishmanial activity; 25 of those were more active against l. donovani than amphotericin b, and nine were as effective as amphoteric ...	2005	16218213
live nonpathogenic parasitic vector as a candidate vaccine against visceral leishmaniasis.	to date, there are no proven vaccines against any form of leishmaniasis. the development of live attenuated vectors shows promise in the field of leishmania vaccination because these organisms mimic more effectively the course of real infections and can elicit potent activation of the immune system. in the present study, we investigated the potential of a parasitic protozoan that is nonpathogenic to humans, leishmania tarentolae, as a live candidate vaccine that efficiently targets dendritic cel ...	2005	16177308
identification of new antigens in visceral leishmaniasis by expression cloning and immunoblotting with sera of kala-azar patients from bihar, india.	sera of kala-azar patients from bihar, india, were used to identify leishmania donovani antigens encoded by a phage expression library. ten antigens were identified, five of which have not been described as leishmania antigens before. the antigens specifically react with sera of leishmania-infected patients but not of toxoplasma- or plasmodium-infected patients.	2005	16177384
synthesis of chromenochalcones and evaluation of their in vitro antileishmanial activity.	a large number of novel chromenochalcones were synthesized by pyridine-catalysed chromenylation of mono-chelated meta-dihydric acetophenones with the monoterpene, citral dimethyl acetal and subsequent claisen-schmidt condensation of the resultant acylchromenes with appropriate aromatic aldehydes. these chromenochalcones 1-19 were screened against in vitro extracellular promastigotes and intracellular amastigotes of leishmania donovani. the most potent compound in this series was compound 9 with ...	2005	16185885
designing and testing of an effective oil-in-water microemulsion drug delivery system for in vivo application.	the phase behavior of a new psedoternary system of clove oil/tween 20 has been studied. several compositions from the single-phase region were selected and their stability toward time, temperature, and electrolytes has been examined. a particular composition(clove oil/tween 20/water as 5/30/65) was chosen as the drug delivery system from the clear oil-in-water zone of the pseudoternary system. the droplet dimension and the polydispersity state of the particular composition was determined by dyna ...	2005	16188725
targeting of mannosylated liposome incorporated benzyl derivative of penicillium nigricans derived compound mt81 to reticuloendothelial systems for the treatment of visceral leishmaniasis.	the antileishmanial property of a benzyl derivative of a new antibiotic mt81 (bz2mt81), isolated and purified from a fungal strain of penicillium nigricans nrrl 917 was tested in free, liposome intercalated and mannose coated liposome intercalated forms in vivo against visceral leishmaniasis in hamsters. mannose grafted liposome intercalated bz2mt81 eliminated intracellular amastigotes of leishmania donovani within splenic macrophages more efficiently than the liposome intercalated bz2mt81 or fr ...	2005	16199372
crystal structures and proposed structural/functional classification of three protozoan proteins from the isochorismatase superfamily.	we have determined the crystal structures of three homologous proteins from the pathogenic protozoans leishmania donovani, leishmania major, and trypanosoma cruzi. we propose that these proteins represent a new subfamily within the isochorismatase superfamily (cdd classification cd004310). their overall fold and key active site residues are structurally homologous both to the biochemically well-characterized n-carbamoylsarcosine-amidohydrolase, a cysteine hydrolase, and to the phenazine biosynth ...	2005	16199669
pulcherrimasaponin, from the leaves of calliandra pulcherrima, as adjuvant for immunization in the murine model of visceral leishmaniasis.	a novel triterpenoidal saponin, called pulcherrimasaponin (cp05), isolated from the leaves of calliandra pulcherrima benth. shows remarkable similarities to the previously described potent adjuvant, qs21 saponin (quillaja saponaria molina). on the basis of chemical and physicochemical evidence, its structure was established as [3beta,16alpha,28[2e,6s[2e,6s(2e,6s)]]]-olean-12-en-28-oic acid 3-[[o-alpha-l-arabinopyranosyl-(1-->2)-o-alpha-l-arabinopyranosyl-(1-->6)-2-(acetylamino)-2-deoxy-beta-d-gl ...	2005	15620480
characterisation of a developmentally regulated amino acid transporter gene from leishmania amazonensis.	the metabolism of protozoan parasites of the leishmania genus is strongly based on amino acid consumption, but little is known about amino acid uptake in these organisms. in the present work, we identified a leishmania amazonensis gene (la-pat1) encoding a putative amino acid transporter that belongs to the amino acid/auxin permease family, a group of h(+)/amino acid symporters. this single copy gene is upregulated in amastigotes, the life cycle stage found in the mammalian host. la-pat1 putativ ...	2005	15621448
synthesis and in vitro antileishmanial activity of 5-substituted-2'-deoxyuridine derivatives.	we report herein the synthesis and the in vitro antileishmanial evaluation of 5-substituted-2'-deoxyuridine nucleosides. the most active compound against leishmania donovani promastigotes was thia-du (3a) with an ic50 =3 microm. this compound exhibited the same activity as zidovudine (3'-azido-2'-deoxythymidine) used as nucleoside reference compound. considering the cytotoxicity of synthetic compounds on peritoneal murine macrophages, the most toxic compound was methio-du (3d) with a mtc at 10 m ...	2005	16168460
analogues of thiolactomycin as potential antimalarial agents.	analogues of the natural antibiotic thiolactomycin (tlm), an inhibitor of the condensing reactions of type ii fatty acid synthase, were synthesized and evaluated for their ability to inhibit the growth of the malaria parasite plasmodium falciparum. alkylation of the c4 hydroxyl group led to the most significant increase in growth inhibition (over a 100-fold increase in activity compared to tlm). to investigate the mode of action, the p. falciparum kasiii enzyme was produced for inhibitor assay. ...	2005	16161997
deoxyuridine triphosphate nucleotidohydrolase as a potential antiparasitic drug target.	this paper describes a structure-activity study to identify novel, small-molecule inhibitors of the enzyme deoxyuridine 5'-triphosphate nucleotidohydrolase (dutpase) from parasitic protozoa. the successful synthesis of a variety of analogues of dump is described in which the substituents are introduced at the 3'- and 5'-positions, together with variation in the heteroatom at the 5'-position. the compounds were assayed against recombinant plasmodium falciparum and leishmania major enzymes and the ...	2005	16161998
t cell subset and cytokine profiles in human visceral leishmaniasis during active and asymptomatic or sub-clinical infection with leishmania donovani.	during an epidemiological study of visceral leishmaniasis (vl) in south-west ethiopia, 33 vl patients, 9 treated vl patients, 14 individuals with sub-clinical infection, 34 individuals with asymptomatic infection, and 19 healthy controls were studied for t cell subsets and cytokine profiles. negative leishmanin skin test, cd3 and cd4 lymphocytopenia, and significantly reduced numbers of memory cd4+ t cells were found in vl patients compared to treated vl patients or persons with self-limiting as ...	2005	16125466
magnitude of unresponsiveness to sodium stibogluconate in the treatment of visceral leishmaniasis in bihar.	the indian government proposes to eliminate kala-azar, which has been a serious public health problem in bihar. this study aimed to assess the magnitude of unresponsiveness to sodium stibogluconate in the treatment of new cases of visceral leishmaniasis and to identify the associated factors.	2005	16130613
use of leishmania donovani field isolates expressing the luciferase reporter gene in in vitro drug screening.	currently available primary screens for the selection of candidate antileishmanial compounds are not ideal. these techniques are time-consuming, laborious, and difficult to scale and require macrophages, which limit their use for high-throughput screening. we have developed leishmania donovani field isolates that constitutively express the firefly luciferase reporter gene (luc) as a part of an episomal vector. an excellent correlation between parasite number and luciferase activity was observed. ...	2005	16131481
resistance mechanism development to the topoisomerase-i inhibitor hoechst 33342 by leishmania donovani.	the bisbenzimidazole compound hoechst 33342 (ho342) has been identified as a specific topoisomerase-i (topo-i) inhibitor in mammalian cells. more recently, we have reported the ability of ho342 to target l. donovani topo-i, leading to parasite growth inhibition in vitro by mechanisms involving dna breakage and apoptosis-like phenomenon. as the ho342 lead molecule (2,5'-bi-1h-benzimidazole) can be used as a starting structure for derivative compounds more effective against leishmania, defining th ...	2005	16145936
altered tubulin dynamics, localization and post-translational modifications in sodium arsenite resistant leishmania donovani in response to paclitaxel, trifluralin and a combination of both and induction of apoptosis-like cell death.	in this study the anti-leishmanial activity and anti-microtubule effects of paclitaxel, trifluralin and a combination of paclitaxel and trifluralin have been tested in a wild type and sodium arsenite-resistant strain of leishmania donovani. both paclitaxel and trifluralin have been shown to be effective in limiting parasite growth. specific alterations in morphology, tubulin polymerization dynamics, post-translational modifications and cellular distribution of the tubulins have been confirmed to ...	2005	16145938
antileishmanial activity and immune modulatory effects of tannins and related compounds on leishmania parasitised raw 264.7 cells.	the antileishmanial and immunomodulatory potencies of a total of 67 tannins and structurally related compounds were evaluated in terms of extra- and intra-cellular leishmanicidal effects and macrophage activation for release of nitric oxide (no), tumour necrosis factor (tnf) and interferon (ifn)-like activities. their effects on macrophage functions were further assessed by expression analysis (inos, ifn-alpha, ifn-gamma, tnf-alpha, il-1, il-10, il-12, il-18). with few exceptions, e.g., caffeic ...	2005	16153409
microculture for the isolation of leishmania parasites from cutaneous lesions -- sri lankan experience.	novy, mcneal and nicolle (nnn) medium and evans' modified tobie's medium are two conventional media for the isolation of leishmania parasites in in-vitro cultures. both are biphasic, with a solid layer of blood agar, and are normally prepared in glass test-tubes. in sri lanka at least, a monophasic microcapillary culture, based solely on rpmi 1640 medium supplemented with foetal calf serum, has been found simpler, more economical and more sensitive, for the isolation of l. donovani from skin les ...	2005	16156970
curcumin overcomes the inhibitory effect of nitric oxide on leishmania.	upon leishmania infection, macrophages are activated to produce nitrogen and oxygen radicals simultaneously. it is well established that the infected host cells rely on nitric oxide (no) as the major weapon against the intracellular parasite. in india where leishmaniasis is endemic, the spice turmeric is used prolifically in food and for insect bites. curcumin, the active principle of turmeric, is a scavenger of no. this report shows that curcumin protects promastigotes and amastigotes of the vi ...	2005	15772867
topoisomerase i amino acid substitutions, gly185arg and asp325glu, confer camptothecin resistance in leishmania donovani.	the antitumor compound camptothecin (cpt) is also recognized for its specific activity against leishmania donovani topoisomerase i (topo-i). in consequence, defining cpt resistance mechanisms represents an important strategic tool in the acquisition of a better understanding of its mode of action. in the present study, we selected a single highly resistant l. donovani strain termed ldrcpt.160 by stepwise exposure to cpt. gene sequencing revealed two single nucleotide mutations in the ldrcpt.160 ...	2005	15793124
a2 gene of old world cutaneous leishmania is a single highly conserved functional gene.	leishmaniases are among the most proteiform parasitic infections in humans ranging from unapparent to cutaneous, mucocutaneous or visceral diseases. the various clinical issues depend on complex and still poorly understood mechanisms where both host and parasite factors are interacting. among the candidate factors of parasite virulence are the a2 genes, a family of multiple genes that are developmentally expressed in species of the leishmania donovani group responsible for visceral diseases (vl) ...	2005	15794817
flow cytometric assessment of leishmania spp metacyclic differentiation: validation by morphological features and specific markers.	characterization of infective metacyclic promastigotes of leishmania spp can be an essential step in several experimental protocols. metacyclic forms of all leishmania species display a typical morphology with short, narrow cell body, and an elongated flagellum. this feature suggests that metacyclics can be distinguished from procyclic forms by non-fluorimetric flow cytometric parameters thus enabling the follow-up of their appearance and acquisition of specific properties, during metacyclogenes ...	2005	15804377
dichotomy of protective cellular immune responses to human visceral leishmaniasis.	healing/protective responses in human visceral leishmaniasis (vl) are associated with stimulation/production of th1 cytokines, such as interferon ifn-gamma, and conversion in the leishmanin skin test (lst). such responses were studied for 90 days in 44 adult healthy volunteers from vl non-endemic areas, with no past history of vl/cutaneous leishmaniasis (cl) and lst non-reactivity following injection with one of four doses of alum-precipitated autoclaved leishmania major (alum/alm) +/- bacille c ...	2005	15807861
therapeutic use of quercetin in the control of infection and anemia associated with visceral leishmaniasis.	flavonoids are a broad class of plant phenolics that are known to possess a well-established protective effect against membrane lipoperoxidative damages. oxidative damage of erythrocytes has been implicated in the reduced survival of erythrocytes during leishmanial infection. this study reveals the efficacy of five naturally occurring flavonoids in arresting the development of anemia during the postinfection period. among the compounds studied, quercetin was most successful in inhibiting the oxi ...	2005	15808423
novobiocin induces apoptosis-like cell death in topoisomerase ii over-expressing arsenite resistant leishmania donovani.	leishmaniasis affects millions of people worldwide every year. lack of effective vaccination, co-infection with other dreaded diseases like aids and generation of drug resistant strains demand immediate attention into this neglected area of research. the sodium m-arsenite (naaso2) resistant leishmania donovani used in this study is resistant to 20 microm naaso2, which shows a 13-fold increase in resistance compared with wild type. here we report that the arsenite resistant strain of l. donovani ...	2005	15811527
differentiation of leishmania donovani in host-free system: analysis of signal perception and response.	leishmania donovani are the causative agents of kala-azar in humans. they undergo a developmental program following changes in the environment, resulting in the reversible transformation between the extracellular promastigote form in the sand fly vector and the obligatory intracellular amastigote form in phagolysosomes of macrophages. a host-free differentiation system for l. donovani was used to investigate the initial process of promastigote to amastigote differentiation. within an hour after ...	2005	15811531
prevention of relapse after chemotherapy in a chronic intracellular infection: mechanisms in experimental visceral leishmaniasis.	in visceral leishmaniasis, chemotherapy probably seldom eradicates all parasites in tissue macrophages; nevertheless, most t cell-intact patients show long-lasting clinical cure after treatment despite residual intracellular infection. to characterize prevention of posttreatment relapse, amphotericin b was used to kill approximately 90-95% of leishmania donovani in livers of mice deficient in mechanisms of acquired antileishmanial resistance. recrudescence subsequently developed 1) in animals de ...	2005	15814719
osteolytic osteomyelitis associated with visceral leishmaniasis in a dog.	a dog was examined with a history of weight loss and lameness of the left hind limb. a painful response to examination of the left hip joint, and lymphadenopathy were noted. amastigote forms of leishmania sp. were observed by cytology in samples from the popliteus lymph node, and anti-leishmania sp. antibodies at a titer of 1:640 were detected in serum by indirect immunofluorescence. radiological changes included osteolysis and a periosteal proliferative reaction in the left femoral greater troc ...	2005	15817202
immunomodulatory activity of analog of muramyl dipeptide and their use as adjunct to chemotherapy of leishmania donovani in hamster.	in search of a potent immunomodulator to be used as an immunoprophylactic agent and as adjunct to chemotherapy against leishmania infection, two analogs of muramyl dipeptide, viz. n.ac-normur-meval-d-isogln (86/448) and n.acmur-acc-d-isogln (89/729) were evaluated for desired activity. effect of these peptides on cell mediated and humoral immunity was studied by immunizing the peptide treated mouse with sheep red blood cells (srbc) and determining ha-titer, plaque forming cells assay and delayed ...	2005	15829410
applications of molecular methods for leishmania control.	this article reviews the recent advances made in the field of human leishmaniasis. special emphasis is placed upon the application of various molecular tools for accurate and rapid diagnosis, understanding the mechanisms of drug resistance and identification of vaccine candidates. the focus will be on the major role played by recombinant antigens in the immunoserodiagnosis and progress of the leishmania genome project, which has enabled researchers to design better pcr primers and molecular prob ...	2005	15833054
biphenylquinuclidines as inhibitors of squalene synthase and growth of parasitic protozoa.	in this paper we describe the preparation of some biphenylquinuclidine derivatives and their evaluation as inhibitors of squalene synthase in order to explore their potential in the treatment of the parasitic diseases leishmaniasis and chagas disease. the compounds were screened against recombinant leishmania major squalene synthase and against leishmania mexicana promastigotes, leishmania donovani intracellular amastigotes and trypanosoma cruzi intracellular amastigotes. compounds that inhibite ...	2005	15848765
leishmania major encodes an unusual peroxidase that is a close homologue of plant ascorbate peroxidase: a novel role of the transmembrane domain.	haem-containing enzymes (peroxidase and catalase) are widely distributed among prokaryotes and eukaryotes and play a vital role in h2o2 detoxification. but, to date, no haem-containing enzymatic defence against toxic h2o2 has been discovered in leishmania species. we cloned, expressed and purified an unusual plant-like apx (ascorbate peroxidase) from leishmania major (lmapx) and characterized its catalytic parameters under steady-state conditions. examination of its protein sequence indicated ap ...	2005	15850459
evaluation of antiprotozoal and plasmodial enoyl-acp reductase inhibition potential of turkish medicinal plants.	a total of 58 extracts of different polarity were prepared from various organs of 16 species of turkish plants and screened for their antitrypanosomal, antileishmanial and antiplasmodial activities. no significant activity was observed against trypanosoma cruzi, whereas many extracts showed appreciable trypanocidal potential against t. brucei rhodesiense, with the chcl(3)-soluble portion of phlomis kurdica being the most active (ic(50) 2.7 microg[sol ]ml). almost all extracts, particularly the c ...	2005	15852483
effect of lack and kmp11 on ifn-gamma production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells from cutaneous and mucosal leishmaniasis patients.	the immune modulatory properties of recombinant antigens kinetoplasmid membrane protein-11 (kmp11) and leishmania homologue of receptors for activated c kinase (lack) in cutaneous leishmaniasis (cl) and mucosal leishmaniasis (ml) patients were evaluated. the mean levels of interferon-gamma (ifn-gamma) in soluble leishmania antigen (sla) stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (pbmc) of ml and cl patients were 5625 +/- 2333 pg/ml and 4422 +/- 3665 pg/ml, respectively. ifn-gamma was not dete ...	2005	15853916
a novel semiquantitative fluorescence-based multiplex polymerase chain reaction assay for rapid simultaneous detection of bacterial and parasitic pathogens from blood.	a multiplex polymerase chain reaction assay was developed for the rapid simultaneous detection of category a select bacterial agents (bacillus anthracis and yersinia pestis) and parasitic pathogens (leishmania species) in blood using the cepheid smart cycler platform. b. anthracis (sterne) and yersinia. pseudotuberculosis were used in the assay for optimization for b. anthracis and y. pestis, respectively. the specificity of the target amplicons [protective antigen gene of b. anthracis and rrna ...	2005	15858151
characterization of the dna-binding domain and identification of the active site residue in the 'gyr a' half of leishmania donovani topoisomerase ii.	dna topoisomerase ii is a multidomain homodimeric enzyme that changes dna topology by coupling atp hydrolysis to the transport of one dna helix through a transient double-stranded break in another. to investigate the biochemical properties of the individual domains of leishmania donovani topoisomerase ii, four truncation mutants were generated. deletion of 178 aminoacids from the c-terminus (core and lddeltac1058) had no apparent effect on the dna-binding or cleavage activities of the enzymes. h ...	2005	15860773
stage-specific expression of the mitochondrial co-chaperonin of leishmania donovani, cpn10.	background: leishmania spp., in the course of their parasitic life cycle, encounter two vastly different environments: the gut of sandflies and the phagosomes of mammalian macrophages. during transmission into a mammal, the parasites are exposed to increased ambient temperature as well as to different carbon sources. molecular chaperones or heat shock proteins are implicated in the necessary adaptations which involve the ordered differentiation from the flagellated, extracellular promastigote to ...	2005	15862128
development of a modified mtt assay for screening antimonial resistant field isolates of indian visceral leishmaniasis.	the semi-automated mtt colorimetric assay has previously been applied on leishmania promastigotes based on the ability of viable parasites to reduce the tetrazolium salt to an insoluble formazan product. as promastigotes are non-adherent, application of the mtt assay in its original form has a major drawback of a high and variable background absorbance due to incomplete removal of phenol red, a component of most media. we have accordingly optimised a modified mtt assay wherein the absorbance lin ...	2005	15866473
refractoriness to the treatment of sodium stibogluconate in indian kala-azar field isolates persist in in vitro and in vivo experimental models.	ever since their discovery about 60 years ago as therapeutic agent for visceral leishmaniasis (vl) or kala-azar, pentavalent antimonials (sb(v)) have remained the first line treatment of choice all over the world including india. but recently, the number of kala-azar patients unresponsive to sodium stibogluconate (ssg) therapy, is steadily increasing in india. in this study, three clinical isolates, of which two were from ssg unresponsive and one from ssg responsive patients were evaluated for t ...	2005	15868188
synthesis, antimalarial, antileishmanial, and antimicrobial activities of some 8-quinolinamine analogues.	in the present communication, newly synthesized 8-quinolinamines (25-27) related to previously reported 2-tert-butylprimaquine (2) were evaluated for their in vitro antimalarial activity against chloroquine sensitive and resistant plasmodium falciparum strains, in vivo antimalarial activity against p. berghei infected mice, in vitro antileishmanial activity against leishmania donovani, in vitro antimicrobial activity against various fungi and bacteria, and cytotoxicity in a panel of mammalian ce ...	2005	15878667
efficacy of picroliv in combination with miltefosine, an orally effective antileishmanial drug against experimental visceral leishmaniasis.	visceral leishmaniasis (vl) or kala-azar continues to persist as one of the major public health problems in many tropical countries. however, no effective treatment for radical cure of the disease is yet available. miltefosine, an alkyl phospholipid compound, is the first orally effective drug, which has shown 98% cure rate of vl patients during phase iii clinical trial in india. since this drug requires long course of treatment and has long half-life, there are fairly good chances of emergence ...	2005	15895483
antiparasitic activity of a triphenyl tin complex against leishmania donovani.	visceral leishmaniasis is a life-threatening human disease commonly known as kala-azar. leishmania donovani is the causative agent of this parasitic disease transmitted by the sand fly vector to infect hosts. triphenyl tin salicylanilide thiosemicarbazone [ph(3)sn(osal.tsczh)] (ttst) which is an organometallic complex of triphenyl tin has been evaluated to explore possibility to develop a potent chemotherapeutic agent against visceral leishmaniasis. effect of triphenyl tin complex on growth inhi ...	2005	15896700
a heterologous prime-boost vaccination regimen using orff dna and recombinant orff protein confers protective immunity against experimental visceral leishmaniasis.	we describe the effectiveness of a prime-boost vaccination regimen using the open-reading frame (orff) gene from the ld1 locus of leishmania donovani.	2005	15898000
[spontaneous rupture of the spleen in a patient with visceral leishmaniasis].		2005	15899186